Foreign X-Change
by Moonchampion
Summary: Kurt, Kitty and Rahne get to study abroad as foreign exchange students in England, and run into trouble with the Juggernaut. Meanwhile, back in Bayville one of the exchange students, Betsy Braddock decides to stake her claim on one Scott Summers!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**Foreign X-Change**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

Thousands of people stormed through the airport, frantically, checking their watches as they rushed to the gates to board their planes. Among the chaos was a small group that overtime had become very much like a family. With bags in tow, Kurt Wagner, Kitty Pryde and Rahne Sinclair said their good-byes to their friends. 

"I'm gonna miss you man," said Scott as he and Kurt gave each other five.

"Hey, don't sweat it man," replied Kurt. "It's only for a few veeks. Ve'll be back in no time. I just vish you and the others vere coming back to Europe vith me. The things I could have shown you…"

Scott smiled. "Well, take plenty of pictures, 'cause I want to hear all about it."

"Vill do," said Kurt.

"See you later, Kitty," said Jean. The two girls embraced. "Send me an e-mail when you get on the plane, and after you land, okay?"

"Hey, I'll chat with you through the whole flight!" said Kitty cheerfully. "I totally charged the battery for my laptop last night! It should last for hours." Jean smiled and hugged her friend again. 

"Well, I'm really going to miss you. See you in a few weeks," said Jean.

Kitty pulled away from the embrace and turned to face Logan. "See you later, Mr. Logan," said Kitty. Logan looked at her for a moment. Kitty started to feel that she probably would have been better off saying nothing. 

Suddenly, the grim expression was replaced with a thin smile. "Catch you later, Squirt. Be good," said Logan. Kitty quickly wrapped her arms around Logan, and broke the embrace before he could protest. The grunt that slipped from his lips was the only sign of acknowledgement that Logan gave Kitty.

"Tell, you mother to call me as soon as you all get back to the school Rahne," said Professor Xavier.

"O' course, Professor," said Rahne. "I'll make sure me mum gets the message."

Kitty, Kurt and Rahne said their last good-byes. As they waved, Kitty started taking a few steps back. She suddenly felt herself back into someone. Shocked, Kitty quickly spun around and started apologizing. "Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't see you! I should have been watching where I was… I was…."

When Kitty turned around, she found herself staring at the bottom of a massive, muscular chest. She might as well have been staring at a brick wall. Kitty slowly allowed her eyes to follow the body up until she met a pair of dark gentle eyes. The young man's face was topped with black hair, a perfectly chiseled chin, and a smile that made Kitty's knees go weak. Kitty quickly examined the rest of the boy, he was pure muscle in her opinion. His body fat appeared to be a negative percentage!

"Please, there is no need to apologize," he said. Kitty quickly catalogued his accent as Russian. "It was my fault. I should have been more considerate. Please forgive me."

Kitty found herself unable to say anything. "Yeah… uh, sure… whatever you say." Kitty winced her eyes as she finally realized what had come out of her mouth. "I mean…." Kitty's eyes fell on his smile again. It was a crime that this guy looked this good. It was a total disaster that she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Piotr!" cried Rahne. She quickly ran up and leaped into the air, wrapping her hands around the massive teen. He obviously stood a foot and a half taller than Rahne and nearly everyone else in sight. "It's been so long!"

"Little Rahne! How have you been?" asked Piotr as he gently sat the girl on the floor.

"Fine," Rahne replied. "I see ye've met me friend, Kitty." Piotr's eyes fell upon Kitty and he smiled. Kitty returned the smile with an awkward one of her own. "And this is Kurt. They're both going to Muir Island with me."

Kurt stepped forward and nodded at Piotr. "Vow! You're huge!"

Piotr let a small laugh slip from his lips at Kurt's astonishment. "Where's Betsy?" asked Rahne. "I thought she was comin' with ye?"

"I'm here, Rahne," said another girl stepping forward. She had long purple hair that gently lay on her bare shoulders. She wore a dark blue midriff slip and a pair of black pants that nestled closely against figure. Rahne's eyes widened as she recognized her old friend. She quickly ran over to Betsy and wrapped her arms around her. "Come here, both of ye! I want to introduce ye to the Professor!"

Rahne seized Betsy's hand and led her over to the Professor. "Professor, it's them! This is Betsy Braddock and Piotr Rasputin! They're me mum's students from Muir Island!"

Professor Xavier smiled and extended his hand to each of the students one at a time. "Well, Betsy… Piotr… welcome to the United States. I hope that we can make your stay here an enjoyable one."

Piotr nodded. "Thank you, Professor. Please, call me Peter. Dr. MacTaggert and I discussed it before I left. She felt that it would be easier for everyone else to pronounce my name that way." Professor Xavier nodded. Betsy on the other hand had found something else that caught her interest.

"Well, hello," she said as she walked over next to Scott. "And you are?" Betsy wasted no time. She placed her hand on Scott's chest, and leaned in very closely. A small gasp escaped her lips. "So, you're Scott." 

Scott's eyes widened. "Yeah. But how did you…?"

Betsy smiled and tapped her head. "I've got my ways… much like your own Professor Xavier." Betsy smiled and allowed her hand to trace some Scott's chest. Suddenly, the moment was interrupted as Jean cleared her throat. Scott managed to tear his attention away from Betsy and looked over at Jean.

"Here, Scott, why don't you carry her bags!" Jean drove Betsy's bag into Scott's stomach. Jean then turned around and got behind Professor Xavier's wheelchair, prepared to push him back to the van.

Betsy gave a little chuckle. "Mm, I love a little competition," said Betsy. She glared at Jean who stared coldly back at her. Betsy smiled wildly at Jean, teasing her. Jean simply ignored the girl as she continued to stare at Betsy with somewhat of a disgusted look. Betsy only reveled in the joy of being able to press Jean's buttons like this.

"What did you say?" asked Scott.

"I said, 'you're such a gentlemen,'" replied Betsy quickly.

"Well, we better get going," said Kitty. "I would hate to miss our flight. Good-bye everyone!" Everyone waved good-bye as Kurt, Rahne and Kitty turned and headed towards the flight gate.

As the three young mutants disappeared through the flight gate, Betsy moved closer to Scott. She wrapped her hands around his arm and leaned close. Her violet strands of hair draped over his shoulder and down his arm. "So, Scott," began Betsy, "tell me all about Lakeville."

As the Scott turned and headed away from the flight gate with Betsy in two, he chuckled nervously. "Uh, actually, it's Bayville… not Lakeville," corrected Scott.

"Right," said Betsy dreamily, her English accent flowing gracefully. Her grip around Scott's arm tightened as she sighed softly. "Yes, tell me all about it." Upon seeing the sight, Jean scoffed and disbelief and began to push the Professor's wheelchair after the couple.

Logan stood next to Peter. Both of the mutants stared after the others as they headed towards the exit. Logan glanced up at the large Russian teen. "So, your friend always this determined?"

"Comrade, nothing stops Betsy Braddock from getting what she wants," said Peter. He picked up his bags and began to follow the others. "Especially, when what she wants is a boy."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Heated Rivalry

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**Heated Rivalry**

**(Foreign X-Change Part II)**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

As they drove back towards the Institute in the X-Van, Betsy made certain that she grabbed a seat next to Scott. While cruising down the avenues of Bayville, Betsy made certain to ask Scott about every last landmark. Meanwhile, sitting in the backseat with Peter, Jean became annoyed at the sight. She watched as Betsy would reach over Scott to point at buildings as they passed. She didn't really care about those buildings though. They were just excuses for her to continue to press her body against Scott's.

_"I don't believe this_," thought Jean. _"She has absolutely no integrity! She's just a cheap British skank! Yeah… the lost Spice Girl. Skanky Spice!"_ A thin smile began to appear on Jean's face, as she managed to get some sort of satisfaction.

_"Oh, splendid! You actually recognized me,"_ said Betsy's voice inside Jean's head. _"Oh yeah, by the way… you're not the only telepath, Red! It's a pity, really. As jealous as you are… you're the last thing on his mind."_

Jean grunted with a sudden burst of anger, and accidentally released a telekinetic pulse. The psychic wave pushed everyone in the van against the walls of the van. Even outside, cars were skidded forwards and backwards and towards the sides of the road. After the excitement wore down, everyone turned to face Jean, whose face was as red as her hair.

"Sorry," said Jean. "I… I uh… stubbed my toe." Jean, knew that was a sorry excuse, but for now, everyone seemed to accept it.

_"Aw… poor little Jeannie can't control her powers when she gets mad," _Betsy whipped telepathically.

_"Listen to me, you British bit-," _began Jean.

_"Enough! Both of you!"_ snapped Professor Xavier. _"This ends here and now! Is that understood. Not another thought out of either of you!"_

_"But Professor,"_ Jean started.

_"No, Jean,"_ he said. _"Frankly, I expected a little more from you…."_

The Professor's tone clearly expressed his disappointment in Jean's actions. The burden, now weighing heavily upon Jean, forced her to remain silent for the remainder of the trip back. Betsy continued her innocent flaunting with Scott on the way back to the institute. Peter noticed the pain that was etched on Jean's face, and took it upon himself to ease the pain. Peter's hand began to move like lightning over a book he had carried into the backseat with him.

The sound of scribbling constantly caught Jean's attention. She looked up to see Peter staring at her on several occasions. The young Russian's glances were beginning to make Jean uncomfortable. Jean's concerns were put to rest as Peter ripped a page from the book and handed it to her. After a moment of hesitation, Jean finally accepted the paper and looked at it.

Jean stared down at the paper. The sheet was blank. However, there were a few words scribbled on them, which read: CHEER UP! TURN OVER. Jean did as the message instructed her. When she turned the paper over, a smile slowly began to appear on Jean's face as she marveled at the image that was sketched before her. It was a pencil drawing of her. The lines captured the contours of her face perfectly. The different shades captured the way the light touched her skin perfectly. Jean flashed a smile at Peter.

"It's… it's beautiful," she whispered to Peter. Jean turned her attention back to the drawing. "This is really amazing."

Peter smiled after hearing the comment. "The drawing is merely an imitation," said Peter. "True beauty lies with the model. I could try for an eternity and never match the beauty of the original." Jean blushed slightly as she heard Peter's words. "I am sorry," said Peter. "I did not mean to embarrass you. Please… forgive me."

"No, it's all right, Peter," said Jean. The X-Van slowly came to a stop as they reached the X-Mansion. Everyone began to unbuckle their seatbelt and exit the van. Before exiting the van, Jean glanced at Peter once more. "Thank you… for everything." With the drawing in her hand, Jean slid out of the van and made her way into the mansion completely ignoring Betsy's continued advances on Scott.

***

"Kitty, velcome to Europe!" exclaimed Kurt. "You're going to love it here!" Kitty and Rahne giggled over Kurt's excitement as they moved through the airport. "So, Rahne, vhere are ve supposed to meet your mother?"

"Ach, she said she'd meet us at de dock," replied Rahne.

"The dock?" asked Kitty. "You mean she's not picking us up here at the airport?"

"Nay," replied Rahne. "Trust me. We'll be fine." Kurt and Kitty exchanged a brief glance. The two teens shrugged and started to follow Rahne to the exit. Suddenly, the three young mutants' attention was attracted to increasing disturbance caused by a large man with a trench coat that was being surrounded by security guards. "Now wassa goin' on? Ye'd think we were back in New York?"

Now, there were nearly a dozen security guards surrounding the man. "Come quietly with us, please, sir," said one of the guards. The security guard took a few steps closer to the large man. Without any warning the man swung his arm, and swatted the security guard several feet away, and into a column. People inside the airport suddenly started fleeing from the scene as the guards rushed in towards the man. Still with ease, the man rid him self of the guards as if they were nothing more than houseflies.

"Oh my! I donna believe he's a normal human!" cried Rahne. Suddenly, the man ripped the trench coat off as more guards came towards the standing behemoth. And as the threads of his coat fell to the floor, the jaws of Kurt and Kitty did the same.

"Oh no! Not him! Not now!" cried Kitty.

"Wassa wrong?!" cried Rahne after hearing the panic in Kitty's voice.

"You're right, Rahne. He's not normal," said Kurt. After swallowing deeply, and recognizing the carnage that lay before him, Kurt finally answered. "He's the Juggernaut!"

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. Underhanded Tactics

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**Underhanded Tactics**

**(Foreign X-Change Part III)**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

The Juggernaut tore through the airport security with nothing but ease. The security guards were tossed around the airport like rag dolls as the people in the airport stampeded towards the exits away from the huge behemoth. Kitty and Kurt exchanged worried glances before nodding at each other.

"Rahne!" called Kurt. "Go to wolf form!" Rahne looked around slightly confused. "Don't vorry, the people are too scared to pay attention to you changing." Rahne nodded. Kitty reached into her bag and pulled out a scarf. She wrapped the scarf around her head, hiding her hair. She then placed some sunglasses over her face. Kurt pressed the holographic imager on his watch. His pale skin was replaced with his natural blue fur. He turned to Rahne to see her human figure replaced with the image of a small brown wolf.

"Okay, everyone be careful," warned Kurt. "Ve've got to get him outside and avay from these people."

"Easier said than done," said Kitty. "Getting him out of here will be like trying to move a mountain!"

"Then ve'll have to do the best ve can," said Kurt. With that, Kurt led the way towards the raging Juggernaut. He leaped over the debris that was flying towards him as the Juggernaut hurled it his way. "Is that the best you can do?" Kurt asked as he ported a out of sight. A long wooden bench exploded to pieces as it crashed against the floor. Kurt reappeared a few feet away. "Whoa! That was close!"

Rahne rushed up towards the Juggernaut. He stamped his foot into the ground as Rahne leapt from that spot. Suddenly, the Juggernaut could feel some extra weight on his helmet. Without warning, Kurt's face appeared directly in Juggernaut's view, only it was upside down.

"Neener! Neener! Neener!" cried Kurt. He even gave the Juggernaut a raspberry. Upset by the taunting, the Juggernaut reached for another bench and tried to smash it against his helmet. Kurt leaped backwards as the wooden bench splintered after colliding with his helmet.

The Juggernaut turned around to face Kurt, and then he started to notice that he was sinking. He looked down to the floor to see Kitty phasing him through the floor. He reached out, trying to grab something to hold on to, but found it useless as his hands continued to flow through everything as if he were a ghost. Once the Juggernaut and Kitty had disappeared from view, Kurt bamfed out of sight and bamfed back into place with Kitty at his side.

"Do you think that took care of him?" asked Kitty.

Suddenly, a large fist exploded out of the floor. "No!" said Kurt. The fist opened, and the massive hand smashed against the floor, knocking the floorboards out of sight and making a large whole. The Juggernaut slowly began to emerge out of the hole. "Uh-oh! He doesn't look happy!" warned Kurt.

Rahne, still in wolf form, leaped towards the Juggernaut. However, he swung one of his arms, and knocked her against the wall. The small wolf fell to the floor, and immediately returned human form. She lay there unconscious. "Kitty, get Rahne and get out of here!" ordered Kurt.

"What? Kurt, what about you? You can't take on the Juggernaut by yourself!" cried Kitty.

Ignoring her warning, Kurt leapt off to distract the Juggernaut. Kitty bit her lip, and then glanced over to Rahne. She ran over to the girl and draped her arm around the back of her neck. "Come on, Rahne," said Kitty as she began to phase through the nearest wall.

Meanwhile, Kurt simply kept taunting the Juggernaut. Leaping from place to place, teleporting to dodge flying debris, Kurt did everything he could to avoid a hit. Suddenly, a green blast connected with Kurt's chest and sent him flying to the floor. Kurt tried to get up, but the blast had taken more out of him than he'd thought. Suddenly, everything around Kurt went dark. The Juggernaut headed over towards Kurt's body and picked up the blue-furred boy. He drew his fist back, ready to end it all then and there.

"Enough, Cain m'boy," said voice. The Juggernaut looked back and then turned his attention back towards the Kurt. "The wee one's had enough. He's not gonna cause anymore problems for us." The man stepped into view. He was tall with black hair, and a heavy beard. In one hand he had a wooden walking stick, hand carved. The tip of it was still glowing with green energy. "Let's go m'friend. We have more important business t'tend to. Such as finding what ye came to help me find."

The Juggernaut considered the words for a moment, and then tossed the small blue body into the midst of the debris. Then, he turned and followed the black-haired man. "Whatever, Tom," said the Juggernaut, "as long as we take care of my… brother afterwards."

Tom only nodded at the Juggernaut Cain Marko. Then, the two men headed towards the front door. Outside, the police simply parted away, and allowed Tom and the Juggernaut to leave of their own free will. They had obviously concluded that there was nothing they could have done. Once the Juggernaut and Tom were out of sight, the police cautiously entered the building.

"Spread out men," said one of the officers. "A few people thought they saw that bloke tangling with a few nippers in here. Make sure they're all right!" As one of the guards neared Kurt's unconscious body, the blue-furred boy began to phase through the wall. A tiny head with a scarf and pair of sunglasses appeared through the wall, as her arms pulled Kurt's body outside.

***

Jean and Betsy glared off at each other as they stared across the Danger Room at each other. Scott, Rogue and Evan stood next to Jean. However, the only one standing next to Betsy was Peter. Professor Xavier sat in the control booth with Ororo, Logan and the rest of the students as they prepared to watch the scrimmage match below.

"Are you certain that you want to go against these odds?" asked the Professor over the intercom. "It will be four against two… and my X-Men have proven to be very effective in the field."

"No way, Prof," said Betsy. "Think of it as a matter of school integrity," said Betsy as she continued to glare at Jean. "Besides, Dr. MacTaggert has trained us very well. I'm pretty certain we can hold our own."

"Very well, I wish you all good luck," said the Professor. "And remember, this is only a scrimmage." The Professor stared intently at Betsy and Jean. The pair of girls had not taken their eyes off of each other since entering the Danger Room.

"Good luck, comrades," said Peter. "You're going to need it." Peter smiled as he issued the challenge. Scott could only return the smile. He'd finally have a chance to see how these two had trained. They seemed pretty confident considering the odds. Scott figured it was about time to see why.

"Good luck, luv," said Betsy as she winked at Scott. Scott's cheeks turned red. Jean let a low growl of frustration slip from her lips at Betsy's little taunt. Suddenly, the bell sounded, and the fight started. Betsy leaped into the air, trying to deliver a kick towards Jean. Jean rolled out of the way, and quickly constructed a telekinetic shield. Betsy smiled, believing she had Jean on the run. Suddenly, Betsy's right hand began to glow with some sort of pink energy. The energy seemed to form a blade around her hand. Betsy began driving the blade into the shield. Jean could feel the pain as blade tried to tear through the shield.

"You'd better come up with something else, Red," said Betsy. "This is a telekinetic blade," said Betsy. "It's gonna tax that little mind of yours to the max if you try to block it with a telekinetic shield." Betsy was on the verge of laughing as Jean tried with all of her might to maintain her telekinetic field. "Trust me girl, you're way out of your league!"

"Well, so are you!" cried Rogue. Rogue's foot came spinning across towards Betsy. Betsy raised her other hand to block the blow. Rogue tried to counter with a punch, but Betsy managed to drive her foot into Rogue's stomach. Then, Betsy delivered a roundhouse that sent Rogue sliding across the Danger Room floor. "Whoa! But how?!"

Betsy only smiled. She had halted her attack on Jean for the time being. Jean was taking advantage of the break, recuperating from the attack. Jean hadn't ever had the chance to spar with another psychic. However, she wasn't about to be outdone by Betsy Braddock. Of that much, Jean was sure.

Meanwhile, Evan fired a series of bone spikes at Peter. Peter's skin quickly became covered with a type of organic steel. Upon striking his metal skin, the bone spikes exploded into shards. Evan continued to fire at Peter as he approached the young man, but it was useless. Just as Evan decided to retreat and regroup, he felt Peter's massive metallic arms ensnare him.

"Let me go!" protested Evan. Betsy heard the plea, and immediately leaped towards her partner. "Hey!" cried Evan as he saw Betsy pop into view. Her psychic knife reappeared from her hand and she drove it deep into Evan's gut. "Ahhhh!" cried Evan. After a few seconds, he hit the floor completely unconscious.

"Evan!" cried Scott. Scott allowed an optic blast to rip from his eyes. Betsy immediately flipped out of the way, leaving Peter to take the blast. Scott's optic blast clashed against Peter's metallic hide, but it appeared to do little damage. Peter stood on his feet, taking the impact from Scott's eyes as if they were nothing more than rays of sunlight. "What the…?" Scott said in awe.

"Hold on, Scott," cried Rogue. "Ah'm gonna see if Ah can take this big boy down a notch!" Rogue pulled off her gloves and jumped onto Peter's back. She placed her bare hand against Peter's neck. Rogue could feel her own skin transform into organic steel. She dropped down on the ground and looked at her hand. "Whoa!"

Suddenly, Rogue felt a huge fist connect with her jaw. Her body went flying back and made a deep impression in the walls of the Danger Room. Rogue stepped out of the impression and rubbed her fist with her hand. "Now it's mah turn!" she said. Rogue charged towards Peter and threw a punch that clanked against his jaw. Peter stumbled back a few feet and glared at Rogue. The two metallic teens then locked hands with each other and began to test their strength.

Scott looked on at the pair, standing by to give Rogue whatever help he could with his optic blast. Suddenly, Scott felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to find Betsy standing there. Scott started to step back, but Betsy wrapped her arms around his neck. "I surrender," she said. Then, without warning, Betsy pressed her lips against Scott's.

Jean, saw Betsy throw her arms around Scott and immediately all of her emotion exploded into power. Jean lifted herself into the air telekinetically and focused her attention on Betsy. She used her telekinesis to thrust Betsy away from Scott. Betsy began to fly through the air, but quickly turned it into a flip and caught her footing. Betsy turned and glared at Jean.

"Jean! Wait calm down!" cried Scott. He started towards Jean, but his attention was immediately diverted as he saw Rogue's metallic body fly just in front of him. Obviously, Peter had been too strong for her because she was unconscious now. Scott turned his attention to see Peter charging towards him. "Back off!" cried Scott. He let an optic blast rip from his eyes that stopped Peter in his tracks. Scott continued to fire the optic blast holding Peter in place as Peter kept pushing against it. If either lightened up just a little, then the other would gain the advantage. The only question now was whose will was stronger.

Jean flew off towards Betsy. With her psychic knife now ready, Betsy leaped towards her approaching opponent. The two girls met with such force. Jean grabbed Betsy's wrist, and tried to hold her psychic knife away. Betsy then drove a kick into Jean's ribs. Jean fell to her knees, but still kept the psychic knife at bay. Betsy tried to kick Jean again, but this time her foot collided with a telekinetic field.

"How long do you think you can hold that field, Jean?" asked Betsy. "Give it up, girl. You've lost! You lost this match… and you've lost Scott!" Betsy could feel Jean's strength start to give as the psychic knife moved closer and closer towards Jean. "Give it up, Girlie! There's nothing else you can do. It's over!"

"It's not… over… yet!" cried Jean. Jean quickly made a fist and drove it into Betsy's stomach. The blow took Betsy by surprise. The psychic knife faded from view. Jean pushed herself up and drove her shoulder into Betsy's chest. Then, still hanging onto Betsy's hand, Jean flipped the Betsy over her shoulder and onto the Danger Room floor. Jean took a few steps back with a smile on her face. Betsy stared up at Jean, stunned by her display.

"Where did you learn moves like that?" asked Betsy.

"From you," replied Jean. Betsy's eyes widened in confusion. "You should really work on the psychic blocks in your mind. I can learn anything you know by simply taking a peek into your head. To me, your head is as clear as glass. And its only filled with your martial arts training and a bunch fantasy dream dates that I can assure you will never happen."

"Really?" said Betsy as she got to her feet. "Well, take another peek inside, love, and tell me how you're going to handle this." Betsy reached over her shoulder and behind her back. She pulled out a katana forged from cold steel. The light reflected off the blade as Betsy looked into Jean's eyes. "Hmm." Betsy bit her bottom lip. "I wonder what you'd look like with short hair." Betsy pushed the strands of her own purple hair behind her shoulder, and then charged towards Jean with the katana raised to her side.

Suddenly, Jean released another telekinetic pulse. This pulse sent Betsy flying across the room and landing on her back. The pulse also managed to throw both Scott and Peter to the ground. Jean stood in the middle of the room, and slowly began to levitate. She moved across the room towards Betsy. The raw emotion was clear on her face. Betsy tried to pick herself up, but couldn't stand. She'd twisted her ankle. "Now, who lost?" asked Jean.

"That's enough, Jean," came the Professor's voice over the speakers. "This match is over." Jean slowly descended to the ground smirking with some satisfaction at Betsy. Betsy looked up at her, feeling some sense of defeat, and regret for having underestimated Jean.

"Betsy, are you okay?" The smirk on Jean's face disappeared as she saw Scott rush past her and kneel down towards Betsy.

"Oh I'm fine. It's just my ankle," began Betsy. She tried to stand, but her ankle couldn't support the weight. She started to fall, but Scott managed to catch her.

"Come on," said Scott. Let's get you to the med-lab." Scott helped Betsy out of the Danger Room. He also cast a glance at Jean, but looked away. The smirk now rested on Betsy's face as she cast a glance at Jean as Scott helped her out. Jean looked around, as everyone else started to pick themselves up. Jean even met Peter's eyes. He looked at her with sympathy in his heart. Jean turned and exited the Danger Room, making a beeline for her room realizing that she may have won the match, but that Betsy was probably right. Maybe Betsy had already won Scott.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. Friendly Faces

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**Friendly Faces**

**(Foreign X-Change Part IV)**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

Jean lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. It had been about an hour sense the session in the Danger Room, but still it was the only thing on her mind. Jean took a deep breath as she turned and looked out her window. The sun was beginning to set. As she gazed into the red glow of the setting son, she heard a knock at her door. She remained quiet, because at the moment she didn't want to be disturbed. Hopefully, whoever was knocking what catch on. Instead, the knock came again.

Jean sighed in frustration, but still did not move. Then, the handle began to turn, and the door was pushed open slightly. Jean turned towards the door to see Peter stick his head into the room. She caught his eyes and could see his gentle nature, despite the strength he had shown in the Danger Room. Peter looked at the teenage redhead and offered a smile. "I... am not intruding, am I?" he asked.

Jean watched him for a while, his head perched just beyond the door. He stood there almost as if he were a small, timid animal afraid to enter. Jean smiled. "No, come on in. Have a seat," she said. Peter nodded and pushed the door open. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Jean slid to the end of her bed and stared up at Peter. She had nearly forgotten how tall he was. Peter walked towards Jean's work desk and pulled the chair out before sitting in it. "So, how's Betsy?"

"She is fine," answer Peter. "However, that is not the reason I came. I was worried about you."

Jean's eyes widened in surprise at Peter's response. "Really?" Jean's look of surprise was immediately replaced with a warm smile. "Well, Mr. Rasputin, I assure you that I couldn't be better." "I... don't think so," said Peter.

Jean forced a laugh as she rose from her bed. "Now, who's the telepath," she said. She turned around to look at Peter. "I'm glad that you were concerned, but honestly Peter, I'll survive. There's no need to worry."

Peter rose from the chair and walked towards Jean. He looked down into her green eyes. "If there is one thing I have learned about you, is that you will always survive." Peter smiled at Jean and then turned towards the door.

"Peter, wait," said Jean. Peter paused and turned around. "Uh, you know what. I could use a little fun right now. Would you mind humoring me?"

"Of course not," said Peter. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, how about a movie," Jean suggested. "I know that it sometimes takes a few extra weeks for most films to get released in Europe."

"That would be nice," said Peter.

"Great," said Jean. "Let me grab my sweater." Jean walked over to her closet and grabbed a sweater. She draped it over her arm and walked towards Peter. "Ready." Peter nodded. Jean twisted the door knob and opened the door to find Scott standing there, his hand raised as if he were about to knock on the door. "Scott?!"

Scott smiled as he saw Jean, but the smile faded as Peter stepped into view behind Jean. "I'm sorry. I… I didn't know you had company."

"It's okay, Scott," said Jean. "In fact, Peter and I were just on our way out. We were going to see a movie."

"Oh, well," said Scott. "Perhaps, Betsy and I can join you." Suddenly, Betsy stepped into view, with a bit of a forced smile on her face. "So how about it?" Jean stared from Scott to Betsy and back to Scott. She could sense telepathically how badly he wanted her to say yes. After a few seconds of debating with her guilty conscience, she finally agreed to it and nodded. "Great. See you two at my car in… ten minutes?" 

Jean forced a smile on her face and nodded. It was the most painful experience of her life. Scott smiled, then turned and left with Betsy telepathically cursing herself about her luck. If Jean hadn't agreed to come, she would have had Scott all to herself. Jean managed to take some delight in knowing that she had thwarted Betsy's agenda.

"You always could have said no," said Peter. Jean turned around to face him, and smiled. Peter shook his head. "Tell me, are all American girls this competitive?"

"Let's just say we hate losing to the British," said Jean as she led Peter down the hall.

Nearly an hour later, the teens were walking down along the sidewalk of downtown Bayville heading towards the movie theater. Jean watched as Betsy and Scott walked arm in arm in front of her and Peter. Jean sighed and felt Peter's hand grab her own. She smiled at the gesture and squeezed his hand gently as they continued on their way to the theater.

The couples came to a crosswalk where they waited for the signal to walk across the street. While waiting, Scott turned to look behind him to see Peter and Jean holding hands. Scott cleared his throat as he began to speak. "So, Peter," began Scott, "what movie did you want to see?"

"Actually, I thought I'd let Jean decide," Peter replied.

"Well, you'd probably get stuck at some chick-flick that way," said Scott. He saw Jean's eyes widen, and knew that he'd crossed the line. "I mean, uh…." Scott glanced over at Betsy. She slightly amused by how red he'd become. "Uh… let's stick with something everyone will like. Something like… uh… like… fire."

"Fire?" said Peter. "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with that film. Jean?" Jean shook her head as well, confused by what Scott had said.

"No! Fire!" said Scott, as he pointed behind Jean and Peter. The teens all gazed in the direction that Scott was pointing in. There was in fact a building that was on fire. The black smoke rose from the flaming building and filled the sky. "Jean, is anyone in there?"

Jean closed her eyes and did a psychic scan of the building. However, just as she completed the scan, she could hear Betsy's voice speaking the exact words that she was about to. "There are two small children in an apartment… third floor." Jean's eyes opened on Betsy, who only offered smiled briefly in triumph.

"Okay, let's move!" said Scott. The four teens began sprinting in the direction of the building. As they got to the building, they were surprised to see that no one was standing there watching the blaze. "We must be the first ones here! That means its up to us to get those kids out of there!"

"Wait, Scott! It's too dangerous!" said Betsy. "I'm… I'm scared."

Scott sighed as he looked into Betsy's eyes. Then, he nodded. "Okay, don't worry," he said softly. He took one of her hands into his own. "Stay here with, Jean." Betsy's mouth dropped open in surprise. Scott turned to Peter. "Let's go!" The Russian teen nodded and stood tall. His skin became covered with organic steel as he followed Scott into the burning inferno.

"Why did he go in there?!" cried Betsy as Scott and Peter disappeared from sight.

"Damsel in distress… how original," said Jean. "Did you really think…." Jean quickly brought her hands to her temples. A brief flurry of images flooded her mind… images from Betsy. Once the images had flashed through, Jean walked towards Betsy and turned her around only to find tears in her eyes. "You really are scared. You… you lost your father in a fire?"

Betsy pulled away from Jean's grasp and wiped the tears away. "It's okay to be afraid, Betsy," said Jean. Betsy remained silent, unable to meet Jean's eyes. Jean sighed and closed her eyes. As she closed them, she sent a telepathic image to Betsy, one that could not be ignored.

Betsy instantly saw the world before her fade away and replaced by darkness. The darkness disappeared, and was quickly replaced by an explosion of light and heat. Betsy raised her hands to guard herself from the flames. She looked out to see that she was surrounded. There was no escape. Then, she heard a feint cry. "Jean! Jean! Help!" Betsy looked across the flames to see a young girl with red hair trapped in her bed, surrounded by flames. The girl couldn't have been more than ten or eleven.

"Sara! Sara!" Betsy looked to the opposite side of the room. There was another girl in her bed. The sweat was pouring from her forehead. This girl was Jean, only younger… about thirteen. Jean got up from her bed and ran to the door. She looked back at the younger girl… her sister crying out to her. "Jean! Help me, please!"

Suddenly, part of the ceiling began to fall. Sara cried out in terror. "Ahhh! Jean!" the girl continued to cry. Betsy watched in horror as the girl disappeared from view. The young Jean dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes. "Sara!" cried the young Jean. Suddenly, the flaming debris that had fallen began to shake. Betsy continued to watch. The heat was starting to get to Sara. Her eyelids were getting heavy. The heat was too much.

However, Betsy's eyes quickly moved back to the young Jean. The young redhead was now floating slightly above the ground. Her eyes clenched tightly shut, the flaming debris quickly slid out of the way. It crashed into the far wall. Jean then opened her eyes and looked at her sister. Betsy followed her gaze to see, Sara floating across the room, barely conscious into the arms of her sister.

Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open. It was Jean and Sara's father. He stepped into the room, to find his daughters cradled next to the door in each other's arms. He reached down, scooped up her girls and ran from the room. The next image Betsy saw was the inferno from outside. The firemen had come and were extinguishing the flames. Still, through the chaos, Betsy saw managed to find the two sisters, still holding each other. Black smudges smeared across their faces, and tears still running from their eyes. "I love you, Jean," said the young Sara to her older sister. "I love you, too."

The image quickly faded, and Betsy found herself on her knees with Jean, both of the girls embracing each other tightly after having relived the tragic experience. The look of surprise was clearly etched on both of their faces. For some time they both remained silent, just staring at each other, until Jean broke the silence first. "I guess we have more in common than we thought," she said.

Betsy watched Jean for a moment, before pushing herself to her feet. "It's not the same thing," said Betsy. "You didn't lose someone. You saved her!" Betsy was now on the verge of tears. "But I… I didn't."

Jean got to her feet and started after Betsy. "Betsy, we are different people. Our powers are different. There's no way you could have done what I did," said Jean. She took a few steps toward Betsy. "It wasn't your fault. You have to stop blaming yourself."

Scott and Peter made their way up the stairs and through the blazing inferno. The heat grew more intense as they made continued forward. Still, Scott was determined not to fail. Those children's lives were at stake, just like his and his brother had been before. Scott knew the fear they must be experiencing… it was a fear that no child should endure.

Peter and Scott came to the apartment door where the children were. The door was covered in flames, but through the roar of the fire, Scott and Peter could hear the children screaming. Peter was about to burst through the door using his own metallic body. Scott raised his hand to signal for Peter to stop. "That's too risky! You might bring down part of the ceiling on the kids! Leave this one to me!" cried Scott over the roaring flames. Scott pulled his glasses down from his eyes, and fired an optic blast at the door. The charred wood scattered into the apartment, and Scott and Peter rushed into the apartment.

Scott spotted the children crying out near the window. He rushed over towards them, and kneeled down. Peter was right behind him. "Peter get these kids out of here!" Scott looked towards the door. "The smoke may be too much for them if we go the way we came!"

"I can take them through the window," said Peter.

"But there's no fire escape," Scott said.

"Do not worry, comrade," Peter answered. "I can survive the fall. The children will be safe."

Scott nodded. Peter scooped the children into his arms and turned towards Scott. Scott pulled his glasses away from his eyes once again and fired an optic blast at the window. "What about you?" asked Peter as he turned to Scott.

"Don't worry about me," replied Scott. "I'll be fine. Just get the kids out now!" Peter nodded and leapt through the window. He landed on the sidewalk, and because of his steel skin and heavy weight, he ended up leaving two large footprints engraved in the concrete. The loud commotion quickly got Betsy and Jean's attention they ran back towards Peter who had the children cradled in his arms.

He kneeled down and let the children go. "Quickly, call the fire department," he told the children. The simply ran off towards a pay phone down the street. Peter looked back up at the window he had just jumped from. There was a sudden burst of flames from that opening. "Bohze Moi! There's no way he can get out that way. I must go back for him!"

"No way, love," said Betsy. "The only way you can make it to him in with your organic steel skin. In like that, I doubt those floors can support your weight. You'd never make it to Scott. You'd only bring the entire house down on top of you if you tried."

"Then, it's up to us!" said Jean. She turned to Betsy. "You up for it?" After a brief moment of hesitation, Betsy bit her lip and looked up towards Jean and nodded. "Good, then let's…." Jean's jaw dropped as she felt a psychic disturbance. She looked towards Betsy, and realized she had felt the same thing. "Scott!" Betsy's eyes widened with worry, and the girls looked up towards the burning building with a new fear in their heart.

"No. No, not again," said Betsy. She looked over towards Jean.

"Come on," said Jean. "We have to save him!"

Scott looked out the window and watched as the Peter landed safely on the ground. He smiled with a little bit of relief in his heart. Then, Scott could hear the sound of wood creaking. He took a step back just in time to avoid a falling wooden beam from the ceiling. The beam fell right in front of the window. "Hmm, so much for using that exit," said Scott.

However, there was another sound of creaking. Unfortunately, it didn't give Scott enough warning to dodge this beam. The beam came loose from the ceiling and swung down at Scott. The beam hit him in the head, knocking him to the floor. Several other beams and debris from the ceiling fell to the floor, encircling the young unconscious Scott Summers.

***

"Kurt? Kurt, wake up?" said Kitty. Her head quickly snapped to attention as she heard footsteps heading her way. She looked over at Kurt and Rahne. Both were still unconscious. Kitty bit her lip. "I can't move both of you. And if the police find us here, they're gonna ask a lot of questions!"

"Gordon! Check behind those bushes!" said a distant voice.

"Aye!" called Gordon, a young British police officer. "Of course. Send Gordon to do the dirty work. Bloody well, serve 'em right if that behemoth comes back while I'm down 'ere."

Kitty could see Gordon working his way through the shrubbery. There was nothing she could do. In a few seconds, she be as good as caught. She fumbled with Kurt's wrist trying to activate his holo-imager. If they were found like this, chances are they could find a way out of this mess undetected. But if that officer, Gordon, saw Kurt's blue fur, they'd be in more trouble then they could imagine.

"Oh, bloody hell! What's with these bushes?" called Gordon. Kitty looked up at the shrubs. They seemed to be moving and growing. In all, they were doing their best to keep Gordon from getting any closer. "Hey! What gives? Bleeding branch just spanked my rump!" Gordon quickly stepped away from the bushes, massaging his rear. "Oh forget it. Not like there's anything down there anyway."

Kitty let a sigh of relief go as Gordon stomped away from the shrubbery, leaving herself and her friends unfound. "That was fun, eh?" said a voice. Kitty turned around to see a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. On her shoulder was perched a small purple dragon. She smiled as she looked at Kitty. The girl, wearing a blue X-uniform, then turned her attention towards Kitty and Rahne. She waved her hands in the air, and the grass beneath them began to grow, lifting their bodies off the ground. She then began to look them over.

"Who are you?" said Kitty as she sprang to her feet. "And what are you doing to my friends?"

"Dinnae worry," said another voice, "Illyana won't hurt yer friends." Kitty looked into the air. She could see several other people flying towards her: a boy, a girl and a large flaming bird. The boys had blonde hair and his outfit was patterned after the Union Jack. The girl had red hair. Her uniform seemed close to the X-uniforms that Kitty knew, but it was green instead of blue. The girl also had a type of cape that was attached to her suit. Finally, there was the large flaming bird… a phoenix.

As the phoenix neared the ground, Kitty saw that it wasn't a bird, but actually another girl with red hair. Within the phoenix's talon was an older woman wearing glasses. Once her feet touched the ground, she ran immediately towards Rahne.

"Rahne? Are ye all right?" she asked.

Young Rahne slowly began to stir. She felt her face being cradled in familiar hands. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Mum!" Rahne reached up and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Dr. MacTaggert? Moira MacTaggert?" asked Kitty. The woman slowly pulled herself from her daughter's embrace and pushed her glasses back onto her nose. She nodded at Kitty who let out a sigh of relief. "Then, the rest of you must be her students, Excalibur."

"Yes, they are," said Dr. MacTaggert. "Introduce yerselves while I see to this young man." Moira moved over to get a closer look at Kurt.

The blonde boy stepped forward first. He nodded at Kitty. "Hi. Name's Brian. They call me Britannic. I'm the field leader of this team."

"Co-leader," interrupted the redhead with the green X-uniform. "I'm Theresa Rourke. Syrin, the other field leader of this team." Theresa sneered towards Brian, annoyed that he'd conveniently forgotten that he shared leadership of the team.

The girl with the dragon still perched on her shoulder began to giggle as the rivalry between Brian and Theresa continued. She took a step towards Kitty, still smiling. "I'm Illyana. They call me Magik. You probably already met my brother, Piotr." Kitty nodded. "This is Lockheed." Illyana lifted her shoulder, and the dragon gave a brief screech as he spread his wings. "Shh, not so loud Lockheed." The dragon reset itself, and Illyana continued. "And that's Rachel Summers. We call her Phoenix… for obvious reasons."

"Summers?" echoed Kitty. "Any relation to Scott Summers?"

Rachel looked up surprised when she heard the name. "Uh, yes… we're distant relatives," she answered. Rachel cleared her throat. "So, what happened here? It looks like a truck ran through this place! Everyone's on edge. I can sense the tension in the air."

"It vas the Juggernaut," said Kurt as he began to come around. He shook his head as he got to his feat. "He vas vith someone else too. I can barely remember. I think he said his name was… Tom."

Theresa's eyes widened. "Dr. MacTaggert. Do ye think he could be talking about me uncle, Black Tom?"

"That he could," said Moira. "And if that's so, then we know what they're after."

"Wait, what's going on?" asked Kitty. "What would they be after?"

Brian had turned his attention towards Theresa. He knew what her uncle would be after. It was the same thing that his family had sworn to protect in addition to these isles. Brian turned to face Kitty and the others. "What Black Tom and the Juggernaut are after is the very item that will make them truly unstoppable. They're after… Excalibur."

"You mean the sword?" asked Kurt. "But I thought that it vas just a legend?"

"No my friend," said Brian. "And if Tom Cassidy gets his hands on that sword, he and his friend… the Juggernaut will truly be unstoppable."

"What are we gonna do?" asked Rahne.

"The only thing ve can do," said Kurt. "Stop them."

TO BE CONCLUDED…


	5. All For One

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

**All For One**

**(Foreign X-Change Part V)**

**By**

**Moonchampion**

The torch's flame flickered off the stone walls of the tomb brightly lighting the damp, dark space. The sounds of heavy footsteps broke the somber silence as a pair of shadows passed through the corridor. The owners of the shadows came to a stop at the end of the tomb where a large stone door stood closed.

A single hand rose from the shadows and touched the stone door. The hand ran across the door tracing the patterns. Then, there was a low laughter that began to echo within the tomb. "Yes… this is it! Finally, after all these years… this is it!"

Black Tom Cassidy turned around to face his best friend, the powerful behemoth Cain Marko, the human Juggernaut. "This is what we've been searching for. The sword… Excalibur is inside!"

Cain Marko looked from his best friend to the stone door. He then cradled his fist in the palm of his other hand, and began to massage his knuckles. The Juggernaut pulled his fist back and punched the stone door. Upon impact, the door quickly crumbled to pebbles. The Juggernaut stood back and looked towards Black Tom. "After you," he said. Black Tom wasted no time as he stepped through the door.

As they entered the room, the two occupants of the room instantly came visible. One was the tomb… the legendary tomb of King Arthur Pendragon. The other was a sword, whose blade was embedded deep within a boulder. "There it is," said Black Tom. He quickly walked towards the stone and admired it even closer. "Excalibur, and now it's mine." Black Tom reached for the hilt of the sword and pulled. Yet with all his might, he couldn't pull the sword free.

"Argh! Blast this cursed blade!" Black Tom cried. He turned to face the Juggernaut. "Cain, me boy, get the sword!"

Cain nodded and walked towards the sword. He reached down and grabbed Excalibur and began to pull on the sword. With the first tug, the sword didn't budge. Cain looked back towards Black Tom puzzled. "What are ye doin'? Quit foolin' and pull out the sword!" Cain turned his attention back to the sword and began pulling again. Yet with all his might, he couldn't pull the sword free.

"Who woulda thought that blasted legend was true!" cursed Black Tom. "Just grab the whole blasted stone, and let's go!"

The Juggernaut turned around to pick up the stone. As he wrapped he fingers around the rock, he noticed something strange in the wall. His grip loosened as he studied the wall. All of a sudden, there was a flurry of colors. Red, blue and white all becoming more visible by the second. Suddenly, he saw what appeared to be a fist coming directly at his face. The blow landed, but only managed to turn the Juggernaut's a fraction of an inch.

"I don't think so," said the owner of the fist. By now, it was obvious what had struck the Juggernaut. He watched as Brian Braddock phased through the cavern wall, with young Kitty Pryde guiding him out. Once he was completely out of the wall, Kitty stepped aside. "If you want that sword, you're going to have to get through Britannic!"

The Juggernaut only laughed. "Kid, you've got to be kidding me." The Juggernaut raised his fist as he prepared to crush Britannic. He paused for a second, and then lowered his hand. "On second thought… why don't you give me your best shot." The Juggernaut leaned his chin down, giving Britannic a clear shot.

Shocked by the opportunity, Britannic turned to face Kitty, who simply shrugged. Britannic turned his eyes back towards Juggernaut. He pulled his own fist back, and struck the huge behemoth with all his might. The Juggernaut didn't even flinch as the blow landed.

Britannic looked at his hand in awe; amazed that the Juggernaut was still standing unmoved. He turned his gaze from his hand and looked into the eyes of the Juggernaut. "My turn, junior," said the Juggernaut. The Juggernaut threw his fist at Britannic and sent the blonde teen into the cavern wall. Britannic slid to the floor, in a world of pain. He had never experienced a blow like that. He looked up to see the Juggernaut stepping towards him.

As a reflex, Britannic reached for the nearest object he could find, knowing now that he wasn't strong enough to go toe to toe with the Juggernaut. Britannic felt his fingers wrap around an object. He pulled it towards him, and rose to his feet. It was at that moment that he realized what he held in his hand… Excalibur.

The Juggernaut stopped in his tracks as Britannic held Excalibur before him. A smile began to spread across the teen's face as he saw that he held the legendary sword. "What's wrong? Lose your nerve?" he said to the Juggernaut. Suddenly, a golden blast hit Britannic in the chest, sending the young hero to the ground.

"Brian?!" called a voice. Suddenly, Siryn zipped through the air towards her downed teammate. The Juggernaut turned just in time to grab her by the wrists and hold her dangling in the air. "Let go of me, ye bleedin' monster!"

"Now, now, lass," said Black Tom as he looked towards. "That's no way for a wee one like you to talk. I'm sure my cousin taught ye better than that."

Siryn groaned as she struggled to free herself from the Juggernaut's iron grip. "Ye leave my father out of this," said Siryn. "Ye're a disgrace to the family is what ye are, Tom Cassidy."

"Enough," said Black Tom. "I know have what I want, and there's nothing any of you can do about it." Black Tom looked over towards Kitty. "You! Give me the sword, and I'll let your friends live." Black Tom raised his staff and pointed it towards Britannic. "I won't ask twice."

"Nay, Kitty! Don't ye do it!" protested Siryn, still struggling. Kitty reached down and grabbed the sword. "Ye can't trust him! Please don' a listen to 'em!"

Suddenly, a wolf leaped into the air. It's fangs dug into the staff and began to pull it away from Black Tom, but he held on tightly. "What's the meanin' o this?" Black Tom cried as he struggled to pull his staff free of the wolf's jaws. "Ye, mangy mutt. I'll have ye're head for this!"

Black Tom kicked the wolf with his leg, knocking it to the ground. With the staff free from the wolf's jaws, he turned the staff towards the wolf. "First, I'll get rid of ye." The staff began to glow with golden energy, as the wolf tried to pull itself to its feet.

"Rahne!" called a small voice. Suddenly, Black Tom's staff sprang free from his hand, and began to hover over his head. He reached for it, but staff continued to rise out of his reach with each attempt. Black Tom looked over to see a small blonde girl with her hands in the air.

"So, this is ye're doin'!" he growled. He started at the girl, who quickly released the staff and dashed where the wolf had lay. Only now, in that place stood another young girl, who was now being cradled by Moira MacTaggert. "Well, so this is your girl is it, Moira?"

Moira's eyes shot up at Black Tom, loathing him. "Ye're a sick man, Tom Cassidy. How can ye do this?!" asked Moira as the young girl Illyana cradled up next to Moira and Rahne, obviously afraid of Black Tom.

"I do it, because I can," he said. Black Tom turned back towards Kitty who had Excalibur in her hand. "Now, girl… the sword. Or I'll finish off this whole lot right now!"

"Nein, Kitty!" said Kurt as he appeared out of a cloud of brimstone next to Kitty. He held out his hand, taking the sword from Kitty. "Now, mein Fruend, if you vant Excalibur…." The blue-furred teen disappeared in a cloud of brimstone and reappeared in front of Black Tom. "… then try to take it from me."

Black Tom smiled as he saw the young teen wield the prize before his face. The smile grew into a chuckle as he realized all he had to do was take the prize from this… child. "Oh boyo, ye have no idea who ye're dealin' with."

"And neither do you," said Kurt. He swung the legendary blade through the air, and collided against Black Tom's staff, creating a golden spark. Kurt quickly stepped back as Black Tom chuckled slightly at the sight of the boy's fear.

"Heh heh. You're in for a surprise boyo. This staff here is charmed," said Black Tom. "There's no way that blade, even if it is Excalibur, will make firewood out of it."

Kurt looked past Black Tom at the Juggernaut who was still holding Siryn. Kurt turned his attention back to Black Tom, and then without warning rushed towards him, pushing the blade of Excalibur against Black Tom's staff. "Actually," Kurt grunted, "we've go a few surprises for you!"

Without warning, a bright flame lit the cavern. Black Tom stumbled backwards and covered his eyes with his hands. "I can't see!" he cried.

Kurt teleported, and reappeared behind Black Tom. "That's the whole idea!" said Kurt as he drove the but of the sword into the back of Black Tom's neck. Black Tom fell to the cavern floor unconscious. Kurt let out a sigh of relief. "It's over."

"It's not over yet," said the Juggernaut. He released his hold on Siryn and started towards Kurt.

"Yes it is!" cried Kitty. She leaped onto the Juggernaut's back and held on tight. "Now, Rachel!"

The source of the flame came into view as a large Phoenix swooped through the cavern towards the Juggernaut. The talons of the flaming Phoenix hit the Juggernaut in the chest, and continued to push him towards the wall. Britannic got to his feet and began pushing as well. Siryn turned to face the Juggernaut. She opened her mouth sending out a loud sonic scream that helped push the Juggernaut back as well.

"Kitty!" cried Kurt as he watched his friend phase through the cavern wall along with the Juggernaut. Kurt turned to face Dr. MacTaggert who was getting to her feet. "What's on the other side of that vall?"

"A long drop to the sea below," said Dr. MacTagget with a look of worry on her face.

"Not if I can help it," said Kurt. He disappeared in a cloud of brimstone. When Kurt reappeared he was outside, falling to the sea below. However, as he looked down he saw Kitty below. "Kitty!" called Kurt as he reached out his hand to grab her.

"Kurt!" Kitty called back reaching helplessly towards him. The Juggernaut continued to fall towards the ocean with little concern since he was invulnerable. "Kurt, help!" called Kitty.

Kurt tried to increase his speed and reach Kitty, but there was no way he'd make it in time, and teleporting closer to her was too dangerous, fur either of them. Suddenly, a streak of purple flew past Kurt. It was Illyana's dragon, Lockheed. Lockheed wrapped his talons around Kitty's shoulders and began flapping with all his might to lift Kitty up, but it was no use. Kitty was too heavy for his small size. However, Lockheed did slow Kitty down enough for Kurt to catch up.

Kurt wrapped his fingers around Kitty's wrist. As he did so, her head snapped up towards him to see her blue-furred friend smile. "Going up?" he said. Only a few feet above the roaring ocean waves, Kurt, Kitty and Lockheed disappeared in a cloud of brimstone, and reappeared at the entrance of the cavern. There they found the others waiting, with smiles of relief.

"Lockheed!" called Illyana as she ran up towards Kurt and Kitty. Her purple dragon left Kitty's shoulder and landed onto Illyana's. The small blonde girl giggled as Lockheed rubbed its head against hers. "You did good, Lockheed! I'm so proud of you!"

"So am I," added Kitty. "If it weren't for him, I don't know if Kurt could have reached me in time."

"Ja," agreed Kurt. "He vas a great help!"

"No! I don't believe this!" cried Rachel. Everyone quickly turned to face shorthaired redhead. "It's Black Tom! I can't sense him anymore. He's… he's gone."

"Are ye sure, child?" asked Dr. MacTaggert. Rachel Summers cast her eyes to each of her teammates, before finally nodding. Dr. MacTaggert sighed in defeat. "Well, at least he didn't get what he came for."

Kurt looked in his hand, to find that he was still holding Excalibur. Brian walked over towards Kurt admiring the blade. "Here, I think this belongs to you if anyone," said Kurt as he handed Brian the blade.

"Thank you," said Brian as he took the sword. "I'll make sure that Excalibur is safe… where the likes of Black Tom and the Juggernaut can never get it."

"Where is that?" asked Rahne standing next to her mother, Moira, whose arm was draped around her daughter.

"I'll return it to the Lady of the Lake," said Brian as he began to lift himself into the air. "I'll meet you all back at Muir Island." Brian then flew higher into the sky and out of sight.

Rachel stepped forward and cleared her throat. "I'll get the jet Dr. MacTaggert," said Rachel as she sprouted flaming wings and flew off into the sky.

Kurt and Kitty stood next to each other as they watched her fly off into sky. Kurt shook his head briefly and turned towards Kitty. "You know," he whispered to Kitty, "she may be Scott's cousin, but…."

"She looks so much like, Jean!" Kitty finished. "I know, it's really weird isn't it?" Kitty sighed and wrapped her arm around Kurt's. The blue-furred teen turned to face Kitty with a smile on his face. "Okay, Mr. Wagner, we have thirteen days left in Europe and you've got a lot to show me!"

"Around Europe in thirteen days?! Easy as pie!" Kurt joked as they turned to join the others on the way towards the jet. "And speaking of pie… vait until you see Belgium! They have the must luscious pie throughout Europe!"

"Really?" asked Kitty.

"Yeah, but you have to promise me one thing," said Kurt.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked.

"Don't try to get any recipes vhile you're here."

***

Jean and Betsy moved cautiously towards the burning building as the inferno raged on. As the stood only feet away from the blaze, beads of sweat began to run across their foreheads. The girls turned to face each other after gazing at the fire raging in the building. Jean took a deep breath and offered Betsy her hand. The young British teen nodded and grasped Jean's offered hand.

Slowly, the pair began to float into the air, higher and higher next to the raging flames engulfing the building. They continued to rise, until they reached the window that Peter had leapt from with the two children. Jean looked over towards Betsy. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Of course," said Betsy confidently. Jean pursed her lips as she stared into Betsy's eyes. Betsy sighed. "Last time I lie to a telepath… honest." Betsy offered Jean a brief smile before turning her attention back towards the window. Suddenly, Betsy felt Jean's telekinetic push. As Betsy's body neared the window, she straightened her body as if she were sliding headfirst down a water ramp. Betsy's body shot through the window like an arrow.

Once she was inside, Betsy rolled across the floor and sprang to her feet. She looked around searching for Scott, fighting the call of the overwhelming heat. Then, she saw him, but he was trapped. Betsy started towards, him, but another beam fell just in front of her. Betsy took a few steps back and started sprinting towards the newly fallen barrier. Betsy then leapt over the flaming beam, and then hit a handspring and a few somersaults to find her self next to Scott.

_Jean, I need you_, called Betsy telepathically. _Scott's trapped under a beam, but it's burning I can't lift it._

_Already one step ahead of you_, Jean's voice sounded in Betsy's head. Betsy turned to see Jean performing the exact same feat that she had, as the redhead landed right next to Betsy. Betsy watched her slightly impressed. Jean smiled briefly. "A little psychic tutoring and some telekinesis can work wonders!" said Jean. She then looked down to see Scott.

Jean fought back the urge to kneel to his side and check on him. Right now they needed to get him out. Jean closed her eyes and started to lift the beam. Betsy bent down and pulled Scott from underneath the beam he'd been trapped under as Jean held it in place. Once Betsy had pulled him free, Jean let the beam go. She knelt down to help Betsy lift Scott up.

"Come on, let's get out of her," said Jean. Betsy nodded towards Jean, her hair now soaked from sweat clinging to the side of her face. Jean formed a telekinetic bubble around the trio of mutants and together Betsy and Jean carried Scott towards the window. When the girls made it to the beam that blocked their path they turned to each other.

"Save your strength. I've got this one, Red," said Betsy. She lifted her leg and brought it crashing down on the beam. The beam shattered into two charred pieces, allowing them enough room to get through. Jean turned to face Betsy with a look of approval. "Never knew I could do that, honest." The girls continued towards the window, where they stepped out into the open air. The trio began to fall towards the ground. Jean used her telekinesis to prevent them from crashing down onto the concrete floor. Still, with the weight of three people, they landed somewhat harder than she would have liked.

"Are you okay?" asked Peter as he rushed over towards his friends. The girls looked up towards him, with black soot smeared across their faces. They coughed, clearing the smoke from their lungs, but nodded towards him. "Good, come on," said Peter. He leaned over and picked up Scott. "The authorities are on their way, and we're starting to get an audience."

The girls turned to see the people now rushing over to see the fire. They also began to hear the sirens quickly approaching. Jean nodded towards the others Peter and Betsy who started to leave the scene. Jean paused for a moment seeing the two children they had rescued were now being wrapped safely in the blanket of a police officer. Satisfied that the children were out of harm, Jean turned and followed her friends.

Peter's hand flowed across the paper, carefully sketching lines across the small canvas in his hand. He paused to look up at the sight before him. Scott Summers lay asleep in his bed with a bandage wrapped neatly around his head. Sitting next to him was Jean Grey, curled up in a chair. Peter smiled and continued to sketch away. He didn't look up again, until he heard the soft whisper of Jean's voice.

"Scott!" she said as her eyes fluttered open. She sat up and turned towards Scott. His head began to stir as hushed groans escaped his lips. Jean reached onto the nightstand next to the bed and grabbed Scott's ruby-quartz glasses. He placed the glasses over his eyes, and watched through the lens as his eyes opened, and fell upon her.

"J-Jean," he whispered. A smile began to spread across his face as he felt her hand wrap tightly around his own. He gazed up at Jean, and could see the tears begin to flow from her jade-colored eyes. "W-what happened? The… the kids?"

"They're safe," said Jean quickly. "And so are you. You know you had us worried for a while, but Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy said that you should be just fine."

Scott could only smile in response as he tried to sit up. Jean reached over and helped him get comfortable. Scott the felt the hands of another helping him straighten himself. He turned to Peter helping him. Scott nodded towards him. "Thank you," Scott said after taking a deep breath. He looked around the room, and then turned back towards Jean and Peter. "Where's Betsy?"

"She went downstairs to get some hot chocolate," answered Jean with a smile. "She's been here with us waiting for you to wake up all night. She was pretty concerned about you… we all were."

Scott smiled. "Yeah, I know," he said. "And, by the way, I actually woke up around 3am, but you all seemed so tired, I decided to let you sleep," he said.

Jean pursed her lips, and looked over towards Peter who was smiling as well. Everyone's head turned towards the door, as they heard the click of the lock turning. However, they were surprised to see Rogue enter the room carrying a tray of hot chocolate.

"Rogue?" said Jean. Peter walked over and took the tray from Rogue and sat it down on a nearby table. "What happened to Betsy? I thought _she_ went downstairs to get the hot chocolate."

Rogue sighed as she turned to face Jean. "She did, but she ran into someone while she was downstairs and asked me to bring the chocolate up instead," answered Rogue.

"Who was downstairs, Rogue?" Jean asked.

"A friend," said Rogue. "A friend who came to visit Scott."

Jean shook her head, unable to think of who it could be. She turned back towards Rogue to ask again, but Rogue quickly pointed towards the window. "And there they go, now," said Rogue. Jean turned to look out the window, and was immediately joined by Peter and Scott. The teens watched as Betsy flew through the air, giggling with joy, in the arms of an angel.

"Well, she's certainly enjoying herself," said Jean. A smile began to spread across Jean's face. "And she deserves it… she's been through a lot lately."

Scott turned to face Jean, somewhat surprised by her attitude towards Betsy. A smile began to spread across his face as well. "Yeah, I guess she has," said Scott.

"Maybe, but leave it to Warren to rescue a gal just in time," said Rogue as she gazed out the window as well. Scott, Jean and Peter then turned to face Rogue with looks of surprise on their faces. Seeing that she was now the center of attention Rogue cleared her throat. "Uh… so I've heard. I-I've gotta go!" Rogue quickly turned and left the room.

"What was that about?" Jean asked Scott.

Scott chuckled after Rogue's departure. "I'll tell you about it sometime," said Scott.

"Well, I think I'll follow Rogue's example," said Peter. He then turned towards Scott. "I hope you fell better, Tovarisch."

"Thanks, Peter," said Scott, "for everything."

Peter nodded and started out of the room. He reached down in the chair he had been sitting in and picked up his canvas. Jean turned towards him with a smile. "Hey, Peter, mind if I get a look?"

Peter looked down at the canvas for a few seconds and smiled. "Not just yet, Jean," said Peter. "But I'll be happy to show it to you after its done."

"Well, now you've got me curious," said Jean. "Can't you give me a little peek or something?"

Peter looked at the canvas again, and then turned back towards Scott and Jean who were waiting in anticipation. "I can tell you its title. It's called… 'Forever,'" said Peter. He watched as Scott and Jean exchanged a brief look with each other as he said the title. Peter then stepped into the hallway and gazed down at the canvas.

Penciled on the canvas were the faces of Scott and Jean. In the image, their eyes were locked together, as if they were gazing into each other's soul. The passion between the two was completely obvious and unmistakable. Peter shook his head and smiled. "Yes, Jean," he began, "'Forever' is the perfect title for this piece. Because there is no other way to describe the bond that the two of you share… even if neither of you can see it… yet."

THE END


End file.
